Plus BBQ lunches at some farms, train rides and fishing for the kids. The smells and tastes. A day out of the city. Christmas tree tours, winery tours. Pick ’em yourself farms. Teaching the kids where their food comes from.

Petting zoos.

Filling up the car or truck with goodies to take home. And even more goodies to give to famil, friends, neighbors. Put in the freezzer.

The Blossom Trail Runat the other end of the season, usuall in April so mark your calendar.

This is the 13th Annual BrewFest, so join 3,000 of your closest friends as we celebrate brewing with food, fun and beer down along the Sacramento.

As always, the West Coast Brew Fest is a ticketless beer tasting event. For one low price, you get entrance to the event, a special tasting cup, a wristband and a wide variety of craft brews to sample. There is never a need to buy more tokens or tickets.

Over 120 different brews to try!!

Limited time VIP Tickets here….bigger cups! Get in to the event 1 hour early!! So, no lines for the first hour of tasting!!! And FREE lunch!!!! A free T-shirt and other cool SWAG!!!!!

This terminal replaces the original terminal build when this airport opened many years ago. A few years back a new terminal was added and now the airport is back at (over) capacity so this addition will fill the current need and add space for future needs as well.

Public art is always such a dicey thing. Especially in such a huge space as a large airport terminal. The art has to be bigger than real life in order to catch the eye of the traveler especially since people in the airport are often rushing from one area to another.

This link has some teaser photos of a large artwork that has been installed in the new terminal. Yes, it is a red rabbit. The rabbit is 56 feet long (remember the ‘huge terminal’ thingie??) and titled Leap. Thanks @SacBee.

<<<The Cornejo Rojo

There are a dozen new pieces of art in the airport terminal and nine of the pieces are by Northern California artists. It is always important to use local artists for a project like our new Sacramento International Airport terminal.

“Moment’s 18’ x 12’ mosaic floor in the airport’s transfer level depicts an imaginary world of water and air that is engaging, uplifting, and serves as an easy meeting place or directional marker for air travelers.Titled, A Fragment of the Universe, the artwork accomplishes this by connecting circular forms that evoke the night sky, outer space, the surface of water and the playful interaction of crop circles and planetary forms.”

Camille Utterbuck & Michelle Higg

“Utterback’s artwork, Active Ecosystem (SMF), is inspired by the rich agricultural activity and natural beauty of the Sacramento area, and more generally, the cycles of growth, movement, and decay present in all thriving ecosystems—agricultural or otherwise. Visiting Sacramento for the first time, the artist was struck by the richness and visual presence of the soil in the landscape and the multiple layers of green flourishing all around her. ”

Ned Kahn

“For the Sacramento Airport, (Kahn’s) artwork titled Airside will line the sides of the APM bridge with an array of small wind vanes that will respond to the turbulence of the passing trains as well as the natural wind. The passing trains will flip the vanes from one side to another depending on the train’s direction. In the interval between trains, the natural wind currents will take control of the artwork.”

Marcia Stuermer

“Migration, by Marcia Stuermer is a backlit ceiling installation measuring 16’ x 52’ intended to be an evocative, archetypal depiction of the timeless notion of travel. Stuermer chose to use the imagery of sandhill cranes inspired by the fact that the Sacramento Central Valley is located in the middle of the Pacific Flyway zone where these migratory birds have travelled their twice yearly route between Alaska and Pantagonia for centuries. ”

Suzanne Adan

“Suzanne Adan’s 12’ x 18’ glass mosaic floor is titled, Flying Colors. The primary element in the composition is a circular pattern of birds and tulles (or cattails) that can be viewed from any angle. These birds and tulles, as well as tree limbs and other images, are juxtaposed with letters of the alphabet and various linear shapes to create a pictorial narrative. The colors, shapes, textures, and details are woven together to form a whimsical landscape designed to appeal to youthful imaginations and engage the viewer in a playful and humorous way before boarding his/her flight.”

Lynn Criswell

“(Criswell’s) artwork is located in the transfer level of the airport’s ticket hall. It is defined by a yellow-green terrazzo rectangle measuring 18’ x 30’ and directly over-head by 21 suspended emerald green birdcages.Twenty-one silhouettes of various indigenous Northern Californian birds will be water jet cut in 3/8” brushed aluminum rectangles, inset into the floor, and filled with black terrazzo. Each suspended cage is hung directly over a bird silhouette.”

Living Lenses: Po Shu Wang & Louise Bertelsen

“Shaped like a French horn, the sculpture titled “Your Words are Music to Their Ears” by Living Lenses (Louise Bertelsen and Po Shu Wang) stands approximately 10 feet high and is made of stainless steel. A small shelf jutting out of the sculpture holds a computer. Passengers will be allowed to use the computer to send messages. When a message is sent, the text is converted to music that emanates from the sculpture. Part free Wi-Fi terminal and part musical instrument, the artwork allows web-serving passengers to entertain close by passengers with an instant literary-based musical composition.”

Gregory Kondos

“Gregory Kondos’ 8’x12’, oil on canvas painting is titled Sutter’s Gold. The primary element in the composition is the American River running vertically through rolling hills in the heart of California Gold Rush landscape. The painting is inspired by the discovery of gold in 1848 and its historical significance to the Sacramento region.”

Note: Gregory Kondos is one of the most famous Sacramento artists, and we have a lot of them.

“The notion of home has been an ongoing investigation and interest of Howard’s for decades and resulted in large sculptural installations throughout the country including at the Crocker Art Museum, the Di Rosa Preserve, and the Tacoma Museum of Glass, among others. She further explores this idea in her work at the airport—a 17’ glass house. Howard frequently explores how home is defined within the context of a place. ”

Donald Lipski

“Donald Lipski’s sculpture or “grand chandelier” in the form of a Valley Oak tree is situated at the crossroads of the axis lines of the terminal, giving it high visibility form the moment one disembarks the Automated People Mover. It will be a presence from the security area, a dramatic central focus in the food court area, and a way-finding center point, as it can be seen peeking beneath the arch of the entryways from the length of each arm of the concourse.”

Christian Moeller

“Christian Moeller’s work, TheBaggage Handlers, depicts the faces of four airport operation workers. The artwork recognizes these workers as part of the largely invisible manual labor force at work within the machine-like reality of air cargo and travel. Despite the increasingly complex computerized nature of air travel, the operation workers serve as a reminder that some tasks are still thus far beyond mechanization. Rendered from photographs of the subjects, Moeller created their portraits for the bit-wall using wood. The artwork consists of two 75’ x 12’ panels, set flush against the stone wall in the airport ticket hall.”

Lawrence Argent

“With the mindset of integrating art into the architecture and utilizing the unique open/transparent aspect of the airport with the green space to the south, (Argent) will bring the outside in with a sculpture titled, Leap. A rabbit appears to have leapt through the glass from the green space on the south side of the terminal and is diving into a suitcase that appears to have a liquid vortex opening on the top which is situated on the floor of baggage claim. The rabbit is 56 feet long and 19 feet tall.”

The Cornejo Rojo

Jaume Plensa

“This sculpture by Jaume Plensa, a portrait of a young woman, will be located in an area called the “south lawn” of the new terminal. Jets of water are pouring out of the girls face from carefully placed locations which are based on the ancient Chinese tradition of acupuncture. Acupuncture has been practiced in China since 2 BCE and is based on the tradition of Daoism, with a belief that all parts of the universe are interconnected.”

There will be an Open House/Community Day even t on October 2nd prior to the actual opening day on October 6th. Check it out on EventBrite here You can register for one of the events and I’ll see you there!!

Community Day will be a “free, family friendly event where you can be the first to experience the newest gateway to Northern California and the World – the state-of-the-art Central Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport”.

Update September 18th:

As we get closer to the grand opening of the new airport terminal, Sacramento Press has a great article about how the terminal was designed and constructed for ease of use by passengers and visitors. There are also quite a few nice photographs just to tease you before you can see the real thing!!

“An intuitive travel experience is one of the main goals of Sacramento International Airport’s new Terminal B, according to airport officials.”

The new terminal is actually two buildings and they are connected by two trains to move peoplequickly to the right spots within the terminal.

One thing the article explains is how the seating was designed within the terminal. Most of us try to find a single seat or somewhere to sit with an empty seat next to us instead of “sitting next to strangers”, so they broke up the arrangement of the seating into groups of two chairs instead of rows of 10 or 20 plastic “buckets”. And some single seats (rockers, yeh!) right in front of the windows. Sounds good to me.

Now if they could convince the airlines that we want planes designed the same way!!!

Business leaders praise the new Airport Terminal the Sacramento Bee reports after the businessmen and woman got “a sneak preview of the new Sacramento International Airport terminal Thursday night” (September 15th).

The Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization held their annual party in the soon to open terminal.

Update September19th: Upcoming Events at Terminal B

There are a number of events scheduled as we move to the Grand Opening of the new Sacramento International Airpot’s Terminal B, scheduled for October 6th as well as a few events after the new Termninal B has opened.

Saturday, October 1st: Experience B Celebration

“Join (us) for an evening of celebration, under one awe-inspiring roof:
-First-look tours of the stunning new Central Terminal B.
-Exceptional Northern California wines and farm-to-fork fare.
-Live music, dancing, and entertainment at every turn.
-Art docents will provide tours throughout.

Participants can visit the restaurants and shops in the new terminal and
preview the public art collection.

Get a grand opening tour of the new Central Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport before it opens
-Be among the first to get a taste of the new terminal’s enticing shopping, dining, and services. Keep an eye out for local favorites!
-Enjoy shopping at this one-time opportunity to explore the terminal without a boarding pass
-Preview the new, eye-catching public art collection featured throughout the new terminal
-Art docents will provide tours throughout

Tours are tailored to the age of students and can be connected to particular areas of study or curriculum. Additionally, a presentation or field trip activity can serve as a springboard for writing, poetry, and art activities.

To acquaint you with the artworks on the tour, a free field trip to the airport for teachers is planned for Saturday, October 8 at 1pm. To secure a reservation, please email Dixie Laws by October 1, 2011.

For more information on Art in Public Places services to teachers, please contact Dixie Laws at (916) 386-8240 or dixie@dixielaws.com.

Saturday, November 12th: Airpost Art Public Tour (reserve by November 9th)

A tour for the public of most of the new art at the airport is scheduled for Saturday, November 12 from 1pm-2:30pm. Art in Public Places tour guides will conduct the tour. Cost is $8.50 per person for adults over 16, children are free. The tour will meet at the new Terminal B at the airport.

To make a reservation for the tour, contact Dixie Laws, (916) 386-8240 dixie@dixielaws.com by November 9. The group size is limited, so make your reservation early.

September 24th:

Besides presenting travlers and visitors with some great art and food from great local restaurants, we hope our new Airport Terminal will spark economic growth by pumping millions of dollars into the local economy.

The airport will start with some $950 in debt due to the slumping economy and the cost ill be shouldered in the manner airports usually raise funds to pay for expansion–ticket surcharges, some pennies attached to meals, as well as grants and leases for new parking, store concessions, etc.

The Sacramento Bee reports today that “the next five years will be critical”…..and “The airport has set aside tens of millions of dollars in reserve accounts. If needed, the airport could cut annual operating expenses more, possibly by privatizing some work, (county airports director Hardy) Acree said”

“Today marks a new dawn, literally, for the future of Sacramento,” Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, said. “We’re taking this entire region into a new age.”

The Grand Opening with photos in Sacramento Press“More than 1,000 people attended a party Saturday that included Cirque du Soleil performers dancing with hoops, walking on stilts and performing acrobatics from 40-foot-long ribbons hanging from the rafters to celebrate the grand opening of the new Terminal B of the Sacramento International Airport.”

Well, there are more tours & parties and opportunities for you to check it out and enjoy yourself.

The November 12th public tour is already at capacity so the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Comission has another big event scheduled:

Airport Art Public Tour: December 3, 2011

“A tour for the public of most of the new art at the airport is scheduled for Saturday, December 3 from 1pm-2:30pm. Art in Public Places tour guides will conduct the tour. Cost is $8.50 per person for adults over 16, children are free. The tour will meet at the new Terminal B at the airport.”

The price is certainly fair, so to make a reservation go contact Dixie Laws, (916) 386-8240 or dixie@dixielaws.comby November 25. The group size is limited, so make your reservation early.

For more info plus other exciting art activities in Sacramento, go to the above link.